Contributing the Strength of Party Schools to the Construction of China's Independent Knowledge System for Philosophy and Social Sciences

The School (Academy) Affairs Committee of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC (National Academy of Governance)

General Secretary Xi Jinping recently issued an important instruction on promoting the high-quality development of the philosophy and social sciences, emphasizing:

"On the new journey, we must take the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, persist in and strengthen the Party's overall leadership, and deepen the systematized and academic research and interpretation of the Party's innovative theories. We must accelerate the construction of a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences to better answer the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times. We should strive to create a new situation for the high-quality development of the philosophy and social sciences, contributing more wisdom and strength to the construction of Chinese-path modernization."

Constructing a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences concerns the Party's theoretical innovation, cultural subjectivity ^[1], the construction of a strong country, and national rejuvenation.

On May 17, 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a symposium on philosophy and social sciences and delivered an important speech, putting forward the major proposition of "accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics." In April 2022, during an inspection of Renmin University of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping further pointed out: "Accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics is, in the final analysis, about constructing China's independent knowledge system." These important expositions point the way forward for us to persist in using "China’s logic" to elucidate "China’s path" and to sublimate "China’s governance" into "China’s learning." Over the past decade, the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC (National Academy of Governance) has continuously and deeply studied and internalized the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches, instructions, and comments. We have conscientiously unified our thoughts and understanding with the important requirements of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. We persist in the principle that "the Party School is surnamed 'Party'" ^[2], deepen disciplinary construction, carry out organized scientific research, strengthen talent cultivation, and strive to play an active role in constructing a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences.

Deeply internalizing the major significance and rich connotations of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speeches and instructions, and resolutely undertaking the Party School's duties and mission.

Regarding the construction of a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences, General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important speeches and issued a series of important instructions and comments. He has profoundly answered major questions such as why to construct it, what to construct, and how to construct it. He pointed out:

"A country without developed natural sciences cannot stand at the forefront of the world, and a country without prosperous philosophy and social sciences cannot stand at the forefront of the world." He clarified that: "We must take China as the object of observation and the times as the object of observation. Based on China's reality and solving China's problems, we must continuously promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture. We must continuously advance innovation in knowledge, theory, and methodology, so that philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics can truly stand tall among the world's academic forests." He emphasized: "Persist in combining the basic tenets of Marxism with China's specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture, and continuously advance the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism."

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions serve as the scientific guide for constructing a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences in the New Era. They provide the fundamental compliance for completing this strategic task and possess major landmark significance. Over the past decade, under the personal planning, deployment, and promotion of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the research and interpretation of the Party's innovative theories have become more systematic and profound. Our country's philosophy and social science undertakings have flourished, and the construction of an independent knowledge system has made solid strides, with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese demeanor becoming increasingly prominent. These achievements are fundamentally due to the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core at the helm and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

In modern times, from the "Eastern spread of Western learning" ^[3], the New Culture Movement ^[4], and the introduction of Marxism and socialist thought to China, to learning from the Soviet experience after the founding of New China, and then to the all-round opening-up since the reform and opening-up period—through the process of integrating China and the outside world while digesting and absorbing foreign influences—the Chinese nation has profoundly realized that while it is easy to import, independence is difficult. Without an independent knowledge system, one can only follow in others' footsteps; without the great development of philosophy and social sciences, it is difficult to truly achieve ideological emancipation, spiritual independence, and social progress. Entering the New Era, China is undergoing the most extensive and profound social changes in its history and is conducting the most magnificent and unique practical innovation in human history. This unprecedented great practice provides a powerful impetus and vast space for theoretical creation, knowledge construction, and academic prosperity. To construct a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences, we must always persist in the guidance of Marxism, base ourselves on Chinese practice, grasp human expectations, and respond to the concerns of the times. We must construct a knowledge form that belongs to us and a knowledge system that possesses originality and subjectivity, holding high the cultural subjectivity of the Chinese nation with a high degree of cultural confidence and sufficient mutual learning between civilizations.

Constructing a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences is the historical mission and contemporary responsibility of the vast number of philosophy and social science workers. The Party School is a major research institution for philosophy and social sciences, one of the "five major armies" ^[5], and possesses unique advantages. Throughout its journey, the Central Party School has made important contributions in various historical periods to promote the Party’s ideological and theoretical construction and its transformation into knowledge. In 1933, when the Marx Communist School was founded, it systematically offered theoretical courses such as Marxist principles, Party building, and Soviet construction, and established the Marxist Research Association to conduct early theoretical exploration of the Sinicization of Marxism based on practice. During the Yan’an period, the Central Party School formulated an educational policy of linking theory with practice, serving as the "headquarters" of the Rectification Movement ^[6] to promote the formation of the "seek truth from facts" ideological line. In the early period of reform and opening-up, the Central Party School was the first to open up new trends, becoming an important source and front for the debate on the criterion of truth, playing a unique role in promoting the emancipation of the whole Party’s mind, re-establishing the Party’s "seek truth from facts" ideological line, and realizing the "rectification of errors and return to the correct path" (bàoluàn-fǎnzhèng) ^[7] in foundational guidance.

Since the New Era, the Party School has always resolutely implemented the important requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping, taking the construction of an independent knowledge system for China’s philosophy and social sciences as a major political task. We focus on the systematized and academic research and interpretation of the Party’s innovative theories. Starting from academic foundations, practice orientation, international perspectives, and historical dimensions, we have deepened research on the great practices of the New Era, with an emphasis on promoting research into landmark major concepts, original ideological viewpoints, and principle-based theoretical results. In 2022, we promoted research on the original contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, resulting in over 20 high-quality research outcomes. Since 2024, we have conducted research on the principle-based contributions of the Party’s innovative theories, producing more than 10 outcomes, including the principle-based contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to Marxist philosophy and Marxist political economy. For 2025, we are systematically sorting through the landmark major concepts of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, listing over 50 items and deploying their promotion in batches. In addition, we have organized the writing of foundational works for the independent knowledge system, forming a batch of academic achievements with significant influence in the academic community, thus playing the role of the Party School as a "fresh force" in the Party's ideological and theoretical construction.

Persisting in the fundamental principle that "the Party School is surnamed 'Party'," and leading innovation in knowledge, theory, and methodology with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences have developed gradually under the guidance of Marxism. Persisting in the guidance of Marxism is the fundamental hallmark that distinguishes contemporary Chinese philosophy and social sciences from others. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is contemporary Chinese Marxism and twenty-first-century Marxism; it provides the direction, orientation, and methodology for constructing a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences. As an important front for the Party's ideological and theoretical construction, the Party School always adheres to the orientation of "being surnamed 'Party'" and "serving the Party." We seriously study the background of the times, the practical basis, the developmental trajectory, and the practical relevance of the Party’s innovative theories. We accurately grasp their worldview, methodology, and the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods that permeate them. We continuously tackle key problems and strive for excellence in constructing a Chinese-path independent knowledge system for the philosophy and social sciences, consciously tempering our "housekeeping skills" (kànjiā-běnlǐng) ^[8].

There is no such thing in the world as "pure" philosophy and social sciences. What one researches and what one advocates all reflect the researcher's value standpoint and theoretical background, possessing distinct ideological characteristics. Early achievements in disciplines such as journalism, law, and political science were basically translated or imported; at that time, there were reasons for introducing them. However, today, if foreign theories are used for education without screening or transformation, it will lead to bias, weaken academic confidence, and hinder or even damage spiritual and political independence. In fact, whether it is the orientation of disciplinary construction or the perspective of academic research, all contain choices regarding ideology, paths, and systems. The academic theories such as liberalism followed by the West differ essentially in underlying logic and value orientation from the "people-centered" ^[9] approach we persist in. Accelerating the construction of the disciplinary system, academic system, and discourse system of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics means taking the extraction of landmark major concepts as a starting point to continuously promote theoretical innovation, and resolutely putting an end to using Western theories to interpret Chinese practice or using Western standards to judge Chinese development. Entering the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping has proposed a series of landmark major concepts—for example, a community with a shared future for humanity, the common values of all humanity, whole-process people's democracy, and new quality productive forces—which have had a profound impact both domestically and internationally. To this end, we must fully reflect the requirement for "independence" in Chinese philosophy and social sciences from the root and source. In the creation of academic concepts and language for the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and in the innovation of academic viewpoints and methods, we must not lose our soul or deviate from our direction; we must highlight our subjectivity and demonstrate our initiative.

The Party School must always advance along the correct political and academic directions, firmly guarding the important frontier of the Party's ideological work. Whether in lectures or articles, major political judgments and important political expressions must maintain a high degree of consistency with the spirit of the Party Central Committee, aligning with standards and remaining serious and rigorous. We must consciously use Chinese logic to summarize Chinese experience and elevate Chinese experience into Chinese theory, pursuing scholarship and establishing theories to offer advice and suggestions for the Party and the people.

Taking the deepening of disciplinary construction as the basic starting point, and steadily building a disciplinary system that serves the overall situation while possessing unique characteristics.

The disciplinary system is the important cornerstone of an independent knowledge system. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must "take disciplinary construction as the foundation of development." The Party School has always treated disciplinary construction as a foundational and strategic project—firm in direction, based on the long term, planning for the big picture, and seizing the key points. We closely follow the needs of the Party, grasping both the requirements of the times and highlighting the characteristics of the Party School. The Party School is not an ordinary school; it is the Party's school and an important functional department of the Party. Disciplinary construction must necessarily revolve around this functional positioning.

Disciplinary construction emphasizes "characteristics" (tèsè) ^[10], which is not a pursuit of novelty for its own sake, but rather about truly researching problems thoroughly and enhancing the forward-looking, policy-oriented, and applied nature of academic research. As far as the Party School is concerned, for advantageous disciplines such as Marxist philosophy, Marxist political economy, scientific socialism, and CPC History and Party Building, we must advance with the times, continue to strengthen them, and form an influence recognized by the academic community. For supporting disciplines such as political science, law, sociology, and history, we must solidify the "plateau" and strive to build "peaks." For new and emerging disciplines such as United Front studies and emergency management, as well as newly established First-Level Disciplines such as National Security studies and Disciplinary Inspection and Supervision studies, we must emphasize starting from the research of basic concepts, clarifying their connotations and extensions. Through the guidance of major projects and other means, we should gradually deepen research, form a logically self-consistent theoretical system, and progressively accumulate disciplinary advantages. All disciplines in the Party School must find their own positioning, both conforming to the general laws of philosophy and social science research and highlighting the advantages and characteristics of the Party School. Research should focus on how Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is sublimated from practice and how it guides practice, as well as how the Party’s innovative theories transform the subjective world and the objective world. We must strive to cultivate disciplinary construction—a "latent achievement" (qiánjì) ^[11] that solidifies the foundation and benefits the long term—to build a solid foundation for running the school and governance through high-quality disciplinary construction, demonstrating new actions in serving the central work of the Party and the country.

The disciplinary system is inseparable from the textbook system. If the quality of the textbook system does not improve, the construction of the disciplinary system will have no stamina. When Comrade Xi Jinping concurrently served as the President of the Central Party School, he clearly pointed out that the Central Party School should produce the most authoritative textbooks related to Marxism to make the Party School's textbook system more in line with current teaching needs; for the latest achievements of the Sinicization of Marxism and textbooks for the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the Central Party School should produce very systematic and authoritative materials. In recent years, the Party School has organized the writing of series of textbooks such as "Research on Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era," striving to produce "masterpieces" (jīngpǐn) and supporting disciplinary development through high-quality textbook construction.

Taking the promotion of organized scientific research as an important path, and continuously deepening research into major theoretical and practical problems.

General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out:

“Faced with a rapidly changing world and China, if we stick to old conventions, suffer from rigid thinking, and lack the courage for theoretical innovation—failing to scientifically provide an answer to the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times ^[12]—not only will the cause of the Party and the state be unable to move forward, but Marxism itself will lose its vitality and persuasiveness.” Scientific research in Party Schools must always adhere to the combination of goal-orientation and problem-orientation. We must continuously improve the degree of organization, innovate research methods, and consciously demonstrate true proficiency and achieve high-quality results in researching and solving major issues concerning the overall, fundamental, and pivotal interests of the Party and the state.

Selecting the right topics is the top priority of research work. Marx pointed out: “The principal difficulty is not the answer, but the question.” In a certain sense, the process of theoretical innovation is a process of discovering, screening, researching, and solving problems. At the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the “Five Faces” ^[13]; at the National Science and Technology Conference, the National Science and Technology Award Conference, and the General Assembly of the Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, he emphasized the strategic orientation of the “Four Facings” ^[14]. These not only pointed out strategic tasks but also issued a “research list.” The more than 300 major reform measures determined by the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and the specific development measures clarified in the “15th Five-Year Plan” outline, among others, are all themes of the era that Party Schools must continuously focus on and respond to.

Today's world has entered the era of “Big Science.” The degree of organization in basic research is becoming higher, and the impact of institutional guarantees and policy guidance on basic research output is increasing. Systematic engineering and major projects involving significant theoretical and practical issues possess extremely strong comprehensive and cross-disciplinary characteristics. It is difficult to complete them by relying on individual strength alone; we must consolidate team strength and tackle key problems through collective wisdom. Concentrating resources to accomplish major undertakings is an outstanding advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Over the past two years, the Party School has cooperated closely with the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee to jointly promote the collection and organization of oral history materials of the New Era; this is a typical practice of organized scientific research. As the first batch of results, General Secretary Xi Jinping Led the Way to Win the Battle Against Poverty was officially published this year and received a great social response. Currently, oral history projects in eight sub-fields, including the guarantee and improvement of people's livelihood and cultural inheritance and development, are progressing in an orderly manner. This major special project aims to “leave a voice for the Party, preserve history for the country, and paint a portrait of the New Era.” It uses language that is easy for the masses and foreign personages to understand and accept to present the historical achievements and transformations of the New Era. By providing a dual narrative of historical materials and theory, it offers rich material for the systematized and academicized research ^[15] and interpretation of the Party’s innovative theories, providing strong support for the construction of an autonomous knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.

At the same time, the Party School must continue to leverage the role of faculty in independent research, carry forward the scientific spirit, uphold a scientific attitude, and follow scientific laws. We must emphasize result-orientation and avoid situations where the research process is ornate but the results are meaningless. We should focus on major matters of concern to the CPC Central Committee, such as comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, building a modernized industrial system, coordinating development and security, and promoting common prosperity. We must keep a close eye on the "urgent, difficult, and anxious" problems of the common people and propose correct ideas and effective methods to solve problems and crack difficulties.

Strengthening talent cultivation as the key support, and striving to promote a favorable situation where talents emerge in large numbers

Constructing an autonomous knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences must start with people and persist over the long term. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must implement an overall development strategy for philosophy and social sciences centered on educating people and cultivating talent,” “build a philosophy and social sciences talent system with complete categories and echelon succession,” and “form a favorable incentive mechanism for cultivating philosophy and social sciences talent.” The Party School persists in combining recruitment with cultivation, strengthening talent training in an all-around way, and giving full play to the unique value of Party School teachers—a theoretical force directly held by our Party.

For philosophy and social science workers to achieve "clear orientation, true belief in the doctrine, high scholarship, and upright conduct," clear orientation comes first. For a long time, the Party School has always regarded the correct political direction as the fundamental prerequisite for talent cultivation, striving to enhance teachers' political capacity and political literacy, and integrating the principle that “the Party School’s surname is ‘Party’” ^[16] throughout the entire process and all aspects of teaching and research. We must inherit and carry forward the fine school spirit, teaching style, and study style, guiding teachers to learn from the famous masters and great scholars in the history of the Party School—such as the “People’s Philosopher” Ai Siqi and Marxist historians Fan Wenlan and Lü Zhenyu. We must learn from their academic character and, even more so, from their political excellence and firm convictions. The cultivation of philosophy and social science talent requires "slow work" and "painstaking effort" (literally, "clumsy effort"). We must adhere to “long-termism,” guiding teachers to lay a solid foundation for scholarship and teaching, striving to know by heart and master the application of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Party history, and Marxist-Leninist classics. They should also read more books on the excellent traditional culture of China and abroad to deepen their humanities foundation and enhance their temperament.

Taking the “three realms” of reading and learning emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping as a yardstick ^[17], we emphasize nurturing an academic ambition of “knowing it,” “loving it,” and “taking delight in it.” We should emulate Cheng Fangwu, who carried Marxist-Leninist works on his back during the Long March and persisted in waking up early to read the classics for a long time; or Guo Dali, who made the translation of Capital his lifelong vocation, taking pleasure in reading, translating, and teaching throughout his life, continuously improving his ideological realm and achieving self-transcendence. We must insist that scholarship "has its feet planted on the ground," guiding theoretical workers to clarify problems through solid investigation and research, proposing targeted, effective, and specific policy recommendations, and turning concepts and ideas into vivid practices. At the same time, we must optimize the achievement evaluation system and incentive mechanism, actively breaking the evaluative tendency of "the four 'onlys'" (only papers, only professional titles, only academic degrees, and only awards) ^[18]. We should promote the use of "what has been discovered, invented, and developed" and "whether it contributes to the cause of the Party and the state" as important standards for measuring scientific research results.

As the highest academic institution of the Party and an important force on the ideological and theoretical front, generation after generation of Party School scholars have made unremitting efforts and continued the struggle, full of a sense of responsibility for the Party's cause and affection for the Party School's vocation. On the new journey, Party School personnel have an unshirkable responsibility and a mission on their shoulders. They will surely integrate this responsibility and affection into every specific task of teaching and research, taking proactive actions and striving for achievements. They will continue to shoulder the mission of arming the whole Party and "congealing souls" (soul-building) with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. They will carry the responsibility of promoting the systematized and academicized research and interpretation of the Party's innovative theories, creating a strong academic atmosphere, abiding by academic integrity, and promoting the transformation of research results. Through practical work and solid achievements, they will better cultivate talent for the Party and offer advice to the Party. With infinite loyalty to the cause of the Party and the state, and with a persistent adherence to pursuing, revealing, practicing, and spreading the truth, they will contribute the strength of the Party School to the construction of an autonomous knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences.

Source: People's Daily (May 18, 2026) Editor: Huihui